Bass Coast

Victoria · Latrobe - Gippsland · 40,513 people · 51 suburbs · 12 postcodes

Bass Coast at a glance

40,513
Population
#44 of 79 in VIC
789
km² area
51/km² density
51.3
Median age
+12.2 vs VIC
957
SEIFA IRSAD
#52 of 79 in VIC
15
Schools
10 gov, 2 Cath, 3 indep
15.2%
Born overseas
21.4%
Renting

Map shows the Bass Coast LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Bass Coast is a Local Government Area in Victoria, in the Melbourne region. It covers 51 suburbs across 12 postcodes and an area of 789 km². Bass Coast has a population of 40,513 , ranking #44 most populous in VIC. The most populous suburb is Cowes (6,593 residents).About 15.2% of residents were born overseas and 5.1% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (15.1%) 15–24 (8.0%) 25–44 (19.1%) 45–64 (28.2%) 65+ (29.6%)
Show counts
0–14 years6,130 (15.1%)
15–24 years3,236 (8.0%)
25–44 years7,759 (19.1%)
45–64 years11,425 (28.2%)
65+ years11,998 (29.6%)
15.2%
Born overseas
5.1%
Speak a language other than English at home
1.1%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (48.8%) Mortgaged (29.9%) Renting (21.4%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (94.6%) Semi/townhouse (4.3%) Flat/apartment (1.1%)
$310
Median weekly rent
$1,516
Median monthly mortgage
42.6%
Households with 0-1 cars
57.4%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

3.8%
Unemployment rate
7,911
In full-time work
6,813
In part-time work

Schools in Bass Coast

15 schools across Bass Coast: 66.7% Government, 13.3% Catholic, 20.0% Independent. The VIC average is 68.6% / 21.4% / 10.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 1019 (range 922 to 1083). VIC median is 1027; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

VIC average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (73.3%) Secondary (13.3%) Combined (6.7%) Special (6.7%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 1019 VIC median 1027LGA range 922 to 1083

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 15 schools in Bass Coast, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Bass Coast College Government Secondary Wonthaggi 1,687 988
Newhaven College Independent Combined Rhyll 916 1083
Cowes Primary School Government Primary Cowes 523 1019
Inverloch Primary School Government Primary Inverloch 461 1061
Wonthaggi Primary School Government Primary Wonthaggi 371 996
St Joseph's School Catholic Primary Wonthaggi 315 1031
Bass Valley Primary School Government Primary Corinella 198 974
Newhaven Primary School Government Primary Newhaven 154 1041
Wonthaggi North Primary School Government Primary Wonthaggi 151 942
San Remo Primary School Government Primary San Remo 148 1037
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Catholic Primary Cowes 110 995
Bass Coast Specialist School Government Special Wonthaggi 74 922
Village High School Independent Secondary Ryanston 71 1028
Powlett River Primary School Government Primary Dalyston 47 970
Phillip Island Village School Independent Primary Ventnor 45 1071

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Bass Coast. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

957
Ranked #52 of 79 VIC LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

992

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

992

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

961

Suburbs in Bass Coast

Bass Coast contains 51 suburbs and 12 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Cowes 3922 6,593 $1,026/wk 55
Inverloch 3996 6,526 $1,286/wk 54
Wonthaggi 3995 5,215 $852/wk 55
North Wonthaggi 3995 3,475 $1,162/wk 42
Cape Woolamai 3925 2,301 $1,471/wk 43
San Remo 3925 1,700 $1,337/wk 52
Corinella 3984 1,181 $1,169/wk 53
Grantville 3984 1,168 $1,107/wk 52
Cape Paterson 3995 1,111 $1,285/wk 55
Coronet Bay 3984 1,108 $952/wk 51
Ventnor 3922 982 $1,292/wk 58
Dalyston 3992 843 $1,352/wk 39
Rhyll 3923 836 $1,254/wk 60
Surf Beach 3922 670 $1,414/wk 46
Kilcunda 3995 578 $1,412/wk 55
Newhaven 3925 547 $1,328/wk 59
Sunset Strip 3922 503 $1,009/wk 38
South Dudley 3995 421 $993/wk 42
Wimbledon Heights 3922 421 $1,196/wk 45
Bass 3991 405 $1,262/wk 49
Pioneer Bay 3984 365 $961/wk 41
Ryanston 3992 324 $1,553/wk 50
Silverleaves 3922 322 $1,298/wk 61
Smiths Beach 3922 315 $1,181/wk 51
Sunderland Bay 3922 306 $1,264/wk 41
Wattle Bank 3995 250 $1,812/wk 41
Woolamai 3995 245 $1,402/wk 52
The Gurdies 3984 243 $1,037/wk 57
Tenby Point 3984 206 $1,286/wk 52
Glen Alvie 3979 182 $1,812/wk 44
Lance Creek 3995 143 $2,285/wk 52
Krowera 3945 134 $1,812/wk 52
Woodleigh 3945 126 $1,125/wk 45
Glen Forbes 3990 118 $1,562/wk 56
Kernot 3979 118 $1,875/wk 44
West Creek 3992 113 $1,406/wk 49
Jam Jerrup 3984 106 $1,875/wk 48
Adams Estate 3984 83 $1,666/wk 41
Almurta 3979 66 $1,125/wk 54
Harmers Haven 3995 62 $1,187/wk 59
St Clair 3995 44 $1,625/wk 35
Archies Creek 3995 32 $900/wk 57
Anderson 3995 26 $1,375/wk 50
Bellview 3945
Blackwood Forest 3992
Churchill Island 3925
Hicksborough 3995
Korrine 3979
Moyarra 3951
Powlett River 3995
Summerlands 3922

Postcodes covered

3922, 3923, 3925, 3945, 3951, 3979, 3984, 3990, 3991, 3992, 3995, 3996

Compare Bass Coast with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Bass Coast and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Bass Coast (VIC) 40,513 51.3 957 21.4% 15.2%
South Gippsland 30,660 48.3 967 16.0% 11.5%
Mornington Peninsula 168,816 47.9 1016 19.5% 17.7%
Cardinia 118,769 35.2 993 23.8% 23.5%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Bass Coast Climate & weather Climate data for Cowes

Frequently asked questions about Bass Coast

What is the population of Bass Coast?

The 2021 Census recorded 40,513 people living in Bass Coast, across 51 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Bass Coast?

Bass Coast contains 51 suburbs. The most populous are Cowes, Inverloch, Wonthaggi, North Wonthaggi, Cape Woolamai.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Bass Coast?

Bass Coast covers 12 postcodes: 3922, 3923, 3925, 3945, 3951, 3979, 3984, 3990, 3991, 3992, 3995, 3996.

How many schools are in Bass Coast?

Bass Coast has 15 schools, including 10 government, 2 Catholic, and 3 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Bass Coast?

Bass Coast has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 957, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.